We took an long weekend last week to visit Istanbul. For however long we live here, our intention is to take advantage of how compact Europe really is. We have an ever rotating short list of places to see and Istanbul was certainly on that list. Istanbul is only a two and a half hour flight, but it is another world. The trip itself was a bit impromptu. A few weeks ago, I called up She Who Must Be Obeyed from my office after realizing that I still have quite a bit of vacation left to take this year. (It is Europe after all). We looked at a few different places and Istanbul hit the checkboxes for reasonably priced tickets, hotel and weather.
I am really glad that we went to Istanbul, but it is probably not high on my list of places that I would like to return. It may have something to do with the time of year. This was the off-season and consequently, the tourist numbers were down. This means that the hawker to tourist ratio was pretty high. Throughout the trip, you literally could not walk 30 feet in any direction and not encounter someone trying to sell you something, shine your shoes, or separate you from your Lira in some other fashion. Understanding that everyone needs to make a living in the ways that they can, it did not take long before the constant assault put me in a bit of a mood.
Undeterred, SWMBO planned out an epic march through the city. I really wish we had tracked all the walking we did on the first day, because it had to have been seven or eight miles. That first day, we hit all the major sites and did not use a cab or public transportation once.
Our first stop was the Grand Bazaar, principally because it was close to our hotel. It is impressive in scale, but I am surprised that it can support so many shops selling the same items. Grand is probably overselling it in typical Istanbul fashion. Most of the shops are filled with the usual trinkets and trash you would expect. All of them with someone shouting to you “My Friend, My Friend, where are you from?” “Something to please the beautiful Lady.”
I never knew I had so many friends in Turkey.
The Spice Market was a similar, if smaller scale experience. We did not purchase any spices while there. The open containers seemed too much of an opportunity to have your spices flavored with essence du vermin.
Probably the highlight of Istanbul would have to be the Hagia Sofia and Blue Mosque. I lump them together because they share a common area between them and we returned several times while we were there. The Hagia Sofia is truly amazing, largely as a result of its age. It has been there in its current form since 500AD. The Blue Mosque is a beautiful building but is 1000 years younger than the Hagia Sofia.
Close by the Hagia Sofia is the Basilica Cistern. It is quite large and has a couple of pillars that are footed with heads of Medusa. The cistern itself is filled with large Carp swimming between the pillars.
We visited several Mosques while we were in Istanbul. SWMBO had to wear hijab during the visits. With her Middle Eastern heritage, she can totally pull it off. The Mosques are very open and in some respect plain, except for the intricate tile-work. Unlike Christian cathedrals with statues and paintings, the Mosques are absent any of that imagery which makes the open space of these large buildings more impressive. The mosques are open to visit except during the daily prayer times. During which, the call to prayers can be deafening if you are close by.
The food in Istanbul is pretty decent. A lot of Kebabs, Kofte, and other lamb products.I had some very nice grilled lamb hearts on raw onion near the Spice Market. We also had a stew cooked in a sealed clay pot, complete with touristy flaming presentation. My beverage of choice for these meals was an Efes, the local pilsner beer. It would not generally be a go to beer for me, but complemented the spice of the grilled food. We also did the traditional Turkish tea and Turkish Coffee. I like the former, not so crazy about the latter.
The age of cities like Istanbul always has an impact on me. The fact that you can walk down the street and see buildings that are more than 1000 years old, and see roman ruins repurposed as building materials for later structures, is really impressive. It puts your own time in the world into perspective.
